Cost of a Lower Back MRI Visit
in Fremont
Reviewed by Momentary Medical Group West PC
Fremont's healthcare market currently shows limited Lower Back MRI provider availability, with patients typically traveling to nearby Bay Area facilities for specialized imaging services. Patients in Fremont pay between $80 and $368 for a Lower Back MRI visit, with a median of $120 based on insurance negotiated rates. The area has 0 active providers in our network (0 individual practitioners, 0 group practices), indicating most patients seek care in surrounding cities.
Cost Summary for Lower Back MRI in Fremont
Low Estimate
$80
Median
$120
High Estimate
$368
Providers
152
69% below national average
Compare Similar Procedures
How does mri lumbar spine compare to related procedures in California?
| Procedure | CPT | Low | Median | High | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRI Brain MRI of the brain with and without contrast | 70553 | $55 | $85 | $654 | 9,774 |
| MRI Knee MRI of the knee without contrast | 73721 | $75 | $80 | $505 | 10,126 |
| CT Abdomen & Pelvis CT scan of abdomen and pelvis with contrast | 74177 | $70 | $85 | $672 | 15,496 |
| CT Chest CT scan of the chest with contrast | 71260 | $25 | $85 | $521 | 10,242 |
Important: These are cost estimates only — not a quote and not medical advice.
The prices on this page are self-pay rates, drawn from federal Transparency in Coverage machine-readable files (CPT 72148 — MRI lumbar spine without contrast). They represent what a patient might pay without insurance.
Your actual cost depends on: your specific insurance plan, your remaining deductible, your coinsurance percentage, whether you have met your out-of-pocket maximum, whether the facility and provider are both in-network, and any separate anesthesia or implant fees billed independently.
This page does not constitute medical advice. Whether you need this procedure, and which approach is right for you, is a decision to make with a licensed healthcare provider.
Where this data comes from & what CPT 72148 covers
Data source: Cost figures are derived from UnitedHealthcare Transparency in Coverage machine-readable files for CPT code 72148 (MRI lumbar spine without contrast), as mandated by the CMS Price Transparency Rule.
What CPT 72148 covers: the provider's professional fee for mri lumbar spine. It does not include facility/hospital fees, anesthesia, pre-operative imaging, post-operative care, or any add-on codes billed separately.
How to read this data
Negotiated Rate
The discounted price an insurer has agreed to pay a specific provider. Most insured patients' bills are calculated from this number, not the higher list price hospitals publish separately.
P5, Median, P95
P5 is the rate at the 5th percentile (low end), Median is the middle value, and P95 is the 95th percentile (high end). This range shows how much the same visit can vary between providers.
What this does not tell you
These rates do not tell you what you personally will pay out of pocket. That depends on your specific plan, how much of your deductible you have already met, your coinsurance rate, and whether the provider is in your network. Call your insurer's member line to get your exact estimate.
Is It Cheaper to See a Lower Back MRI Near Fremont?
Among nearby cities, Sunnyvale offers the most affordable Lower Back MRI visits at a median of $80, representing $40 in savings compared to Fremont's $120 median. San Jose provides a similar cost profile with a median of $111 and significantly more provider options with 235 specialists. Hayward shows higher costs at $354 median, making it $235 more expensive than Fremont for comparable services.
| City | Median Cost | vs. Fremont | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont (this city) | $120 | — | 152 |
| Hayward9.7 mi away | $354 | +$234 | 10 |
| Sunnyvale12.7 mi away | $80 | -$40 | 16 |
| San Jose15.6 mi away | $111 | -$9 | 235 |
Nearby cities sorted by distance. Delta = nearby city median minus Fremont median. Provider count reflects active providers for this specialty.
Lower Back MRI Visit Costs by City in California — 2026
| City | Min Cost | Median Cost | Max Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tustin | $80 | $368 | $699 |
| Roseville | $80 | $368 | $1,976 |
| Thousand Oaks | $102 | $368 | $565 |
| Hayward | $80 | $354 | $368 |
| Travis Afb | $65 | $249 | $599 |
| South Lake Tahoe | $149 | $225 | $669 |
| La Jolla | $79 | $216 | $543 |
| West Hollywood | $80 | $206 | $712 |
| San Ramon | $62 | $197 | $381 |
| Santa Monica | $63 | $177 | $652 |
| Beverly Hills | $56 | $177 | $501 |
| Duarte | $80 | $173 | $1,243 |
| Loma Linda | $74 | $168 | $461 |
| San Leandro | $75 | $156 | $442 |
| Morgan Hill | $77 | $155 | $340 |
| Los Angeles | $54 | $154 | $501 |
| San Francisco | $71 | $148 | $447 |
| San Diego | $73 | $148 | $553 |
| Sacramento | $65 | $144 | $527 |
| Santa Rosa | $78 | $133 | $387 |
| Santa Clara | $80 | $129 | $356 |
| Anaheim | $65 | $128 | $408 |
| Torrance | $66 | $125 | $374 |
| Santa Barbara | $51 | $124 | $409 |
| Merced | $65 | $123 | $798 |
| Fremont (this city) | $80 | $120 | $368 |
| Pleasanton | $80 | $120 | $368 |
| Los Alamitos | $80 | $120 | $406 |
| Los Altos | $67 | $113 | $447 |
| San Jose | $80 | $111 | $340 |
| Madera | $80 | $111 | $160 |
| Fresno | $65 | $111 | $1,223 |
| Mountain View | $80 | $111 | $368 |
| Stockton | $70 | $111 | $888 |
| Milpitas | $111 | $111 | $340 |
| Clovis | $65 | $111 | $188 |
| Riverside | $69 | $103 | $525 |
| Bakersfield | $10 | $96 | $431 |
| San Mateo | $80 | $96 | $570 |
| Mission Viejo | $54 | $96 | $431 |
| Newport Beach | $67 | $89 | $435 |
| Oakland | $71 | $85 | $502 |
| Walnut Creek | $80 | $85 | $474 |
| Berkeley | $54 | $85 | $149 |
| Livermore | $51 | $85 | $302 |
| Stanford | $80 | $80 | $356 |
| Palo Alto | $80 | $80 | $299 |
| Irvine | $68 | $80 | $373 |
| Redwood City | $65 | $80 | $221 |
| Menlo Park | $80 | $80 | $188 |
| Costa Mesa | $80 | $80 | $80 |
| Sunnyvale | $80 | $80 | $340 |
| Modesto | $73 | $80 | $340 |
| Alameda | $80 | $80 | $120 |
| Laguna Hills | $35 | $80 | $347 |
| Fountain Valley | $60 | $80 | $181 |
| Fullerton | $64 | $80 | $385 |
| Burlingame | $80 | $80 | $1,052 |
| Emeryville | $80 | $80 | $80 |
| Castro Valley | $45 | $80 | $108 |
Costs reflect self-pay estimates based on insurer-negotiated rates. Insured patients may pay significantly less depending on plan type, deductible status, and network tier.
Jayant Panwar
CEO, Momentary Labs · San Francisco, CA
Jayant has analyzed healthcare pricing data from CMS Transparency in Coverage files since 2022, covering more than 50 million negotiated rate records across all 50 states. His work focuses on making insurer machine-readable files accessible to patients and researchers.
The cost figures on this page reflect his ongoing work to make this data accessible to patients.